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The National Governors Association (NAAG) is a bipartisan organization that includes attorneys general from the fifty states, plus six counterpart officers in Washington D.C., three territories and two commonwealths.

The organization elects its leaders annually on a rotating geographic basis. The current president is Wisconsin Attorney GeneralJ.B. Van Hollen (R). He succeeded immediate past-president Doug Gansler (D-MD) following his election at the organization's annual Summer meeting in June 2013. After completing his one year term in the presidency, Van Hollen will be replaced by president-elect Jim Hood (D-MS).

Founded in 1907, the NAAG brings attorneys general together to trade experiences, information and ideas gathered while serving as their states' legal and/or law enforcement leaders. The organization and its resources set the stage for officers to collaborate on ways to improve performance and legal services within individual states as well as coordinate the implementation of any new federal laws across states. One of the main purposes of NAAG is to provide the necessary resources for conducting policy research and analysis in order to develop best practices for executing the core responsibilities of the office.[1]

The Consolidated Financial Report of the NAAG and NAAG Mission Foundation for the fiscal year July 1, 2012 – June 30, 2013 showed the organization with assets totaling $117,330,000.[2]

Mission Statement

The National Association of Attorneys General posts their mission on their website.
"The NAAG’s mission is: To facilitate interaction among Attorneys General as peers and to facilitate the enhanced performance of Attorneys General and their staffs."
[1]

Responsibilities

The National Association of Attorneys General identifies important issues and together focus on matters of legal policy and law enforcement at the state and national levels. The NAAG sponsors seasonal meetings by region and annual nationwide meetings. In order to fulfill one of the organization's stated goals of ensuring attorneys general and their staff are equipped to handle newly introduced policies and other legal developments, the NAAG sponsors advisory programs and training seminars through the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute.

Committees

The NAAG is led by a twelve-person committee consisting of a president, president-elect, vice-president, past president, four regional chairs, one mission foundation chair and three presidential appointees. Elected annually, the Executive Committee supervises the association’s operations. Each year a region chooses a NAAG Vice President who moves up through the ranks to become president.

2013-2014

Committee members for 2013-2014 were elected their annual summer meeting, held June 17-19. The current term runs though June 2014.[3]

Presidential Initiative

Each year, the NAAG President has chosen a policy area to focus on during his/her term. It is known as the "Presidential Initiative." Van Hollen presented his initiative on improving child safety, through programs on school violence, public-private partnerships, drug abuse and child sex trafficking, called “America’s Promise—Keeping Our Kids Safe,” at the September 2013 NAAG summit in Milwaukee, WI.[5][6] His area of focus harkens back to 2008, when then-NAAG president Patrick Lynch (D) pronounced his term, "The Year of the Child" for his plans to enhance measures to protect children from online predators and bullies in coordination with social networking sites and cable companies.[7]